Mental activities for dogs in winter: which indoor games actually work?
Published by Planète Pets · managing editor: Clément Lacaille · how our guides are written
Shorter walks in winter don't mean lower mental needs: a dog under-stimulated indoors often develops more restlessness or unwanted behaviors. All our comparisons are gathered in the dog toys and enrichment section.
Contents · 6 sections
What does research show about scent games?
A study by Duranton and Horowitz, published in 2019 in Applied Animal Behaviour Science, compared dogs regularly practicing scent games (nosework) with dogs following classic obedience training and measured a more optimistic judgement bias in the former on a standardized cognitive test. Games engaging the sense of smell appear to bring a measurable emotional benefit, beyond simple energy burn.
Which activities are easy to recreate at home?
- Improvised scent games: hiding treats in cardboard boxes or under upturned cups engages the sense of smell with no costly equipment.
- Snuffle mats: a store-bought snuffle mat structures the exercise and prevents treats being gulped down too fast.
- Puzzle toys: a puzzle toy with variable compartments avoids the quick habituation that single-mechanism toys tend to trigger.
- Stuffable toys: a stuffable occupational toy, frozen the night before, cleverly fills a rainy afternoon.
Should you vary the games or stick to one?
Regular variation limits habituation: rotating two or three types of games across the week keeps engagement more stable than a single toy used on a loop, however good it is initially.
Do these games replace physical exercise?
No, they complement it: a mentally stimulated dog that never gets walked remains short on physical exercise and social contact, two needs that indoor games don't cover.
What budget should you expect?
A quality snuffle mat or puzzle toy costs between 10 and 30 €, an investment that pays for itself many times over across a whole winter season.
Frequently asked questions
How much time per day should go to these games?
Ten to twenty minutes of active scent play is generally enough to produce a noticeable calming effect in most dogs.
Are these games suitable for every age?
Yes, by adjusting difficulty: a puppy starts with very simple hiding spots, while a senior dog benefits from an activity that spares the joints while staying mentally engaging.
Can a dog get bored of scent games?
Rarely, since smell remains an under-used sense day to day; varying the scents and hiding spots is enough to keep interest going. Find all our guides on the dog hub.
See it in the Planète Pets shop: Felt snuffle mat for dogs (45 × 50 or 90 × 90 cm) (€32.90) · the whole shop
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Dogs universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.